My Mission For You:

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

There are a few reasons why a writer may choose to use a
pen name. One is to remain anonymous. If a writer wishes to keep their true identity a secret, they can
create a pen name. That is one of the reasons why I have a pen name. The second reason why I use my pen name is because I want
my name to be memorable, to stand out. To me, Chrys Fey
is mysterious and magical. After all, the meaning of "fey" is magic.To read more about my pen name go to my facebook page: www.facebook.com/chrysfey

Another use for a pen name is to distinguish between an
author’s writing styles. For instance, say you have published a sci-fi series under one name. But you are working on another series that
happens to be as far from sci-fi as you can possibly get. Perhaps you don’t
want to confuse your readers with the clashing styles so you decide to publish
this other series under a different name to warn your readers that this series
is not like the other one.

The
only thing you have to remember when using a pen name is to mention you use one
in your query letter, and that your pen name will be on your byline for your all of your manuscripts while your real last name will go at the top of each page for the
header.

So if you want a pen name, go for it! But take your time
thinking of one. I spent a couple of years thinking I wanted to get published
under another name until "Chrys Fey" fluttered into my mind like a magical
butterfly with flaming wings. When it did, I knew instantly that "Chrys Fey" was
the pen name I was waiting for.

QUESTIONS: Do you use a pen name or your real name when you publish? How did you decide?

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

While I was writing the last book in my
series, I realized that my protagonist had gone to the hospital twice (but as a
patient only once). Hospitals are common places for people to go to in real
life, as well as in fiction. Writers lead their characters to hospitals for
many reasons. If one (or several) of your characters end up at a hospital, and
you suddenly find yourself scratching your head about where to begin, this
article is for you!

There are four places in a hospital that you
can set as a scene.

#1: Operating room

Describe what the operating room looks like:
the sterilized tools set on a tray, the heart monitor, and the group of doctors and
nurses in scrubs, masks, and gloves.

What happens in the operating room?
Conduct a little research to know what a doctor would do in the circumstances
that you are writing about. Make sure you know the correct names of drugs and
procedures. This can easily be done with the help of the internet, or a medical
professional who will let you pick their brain. You don't even have to get real technical!

Make sure to add dialogue. Have the surgeon
give orders, and voice his/her worries while they are trying to save the patient’s
life.

You don’t have to write about every single
thing that the doctors and nurses do, but knowing how to end the scene is key. You can
leave it on an exciting note where the reader won’t know if the patient
survived, or you can bring the event to a close by bringing the patient's
bleeding and heart rate under control.

Photo courtesy of a friend who shall remain nameless.

#2: ICU/Hospital Room

What does the patient look like lying in the
hospital bed? Do they have IV’s in their arms, a breathing tube or an oxygen
mask? Do they have bandages on their limbs or visible stitches? Are they awake
or unconscious?

Is a loved one sitting in a chair nervously
watching their heart monitor, and praying the patient will wake up? Or are they
offering the patient ice chips? Let your readers in on how they feel. Is your character desperately holding back tears, pacing back and forth, or joking with the nurses to lighten the mood?

If the patient is awake, reveal his/her feelings about being hospitalized, and about his/her illness or injury. Does the patient have to stay in bed? Describe their agitation about not being home, and having to watch soap operas all day.

There is so much that you can include in the ICU/hospital
room scene in your book. Use as much detail as possible so your readers can feel as though they are right there with your character(s).

This is a picture of . . . my arm when I was in the ER due to heart problems.

#3: Waiting Room

Maybe you’ve never had to wait in a
hospital waiting room, but I can bet that you’ve at least been in a waiting room in a doctor’s
offices. Write about the uncomfortable chairs, the nude walls, the droning
television, and let’s not forget the hospital stench! You know what I’m talking
about . . . that sterilized smell that clings to your nose hairs.

Then reveal how your character is feeling
while waiting to hear about their loved one. Tell your readers about
their fears, their guilt, their worry, and whatever might be running
through his/her head. In stressful situation, it's sometimes hard for our brains to process what is going on. Your character could be thinking about the pile of laundry they have to tackle, or they could be planning every step that they have to take to help their loved one.

Don’t forget to write about the moment when the doctor
comes to speak to your character about the patient’s condition. And make sure to use emotion! Waiting rooms are bursting with emotions. How would you feel if it was your husband/wife, father/mother, etc. in the hospital? What would you do? Go there in your mind then go there in your writing. This next scene wasn't in my original post until a fellow
blogger and friend, Gina Stoneheart, reminded me about hospital chapels. I've
never been in one as I’ve always been a patient, so this potential scene for a
book slipped my mind, but I am happy to include it!

#4 Hospital Chapel:

First, explain why your character is going to the chapel.
Are they religious, and need to spend time with the Lord to pray and find
peace? Or are they searching for answers? Maybe coming to the chapel to speak
to God for the first time?

Then let your readers in on every emotion and thought
they have as soon as they step into the chapel. Do they feel a sense of
security the moment they walk through the doors, or a deeper feeling of grieve
as their fears are more real than before. If they pray, tell your readers every
word they say or think. And when they leave the chapel, show the impact their
time in the chapel had on them. Do they feel stronger or weaker? Do they have
understanding or are they more confused than ever?

And of course, don’t forget to describe the chapel!
Churches are so architecturally beautiful. Try to visit chapels in hospitals or
look at pictures to get ideas.

A big thank you to Gina Stoneheart for writing about the Lady
of Lourdes hospital in Camden, New Jersey, and letting me share it on my blog
to bring some insight to others about what it’s like to be in a hospital’s
chapel. Please visit her blog: http://dawningonanewday.blogspot.com/

"Once you plant yourself on one of the pews,
cushioned in that churchly color of maroon red, you almost forget about all of
the illness and sickness residing merely footsteps away from the Chapel. The
altar literally sits directly below the statue of the blessed Mother. The
Chapel is always open for patients, visitors and associates. It is a place of
scripture, worship and prayer from which comfort, grace and blessing flow into
the halls and rooms of Lourdes. My favorite part about having the Chapel
located right in the center of the hospital is if I need to take a walk or
stretch my legs after sitting with my mother for several hours straight, I
simply take a few strides to the heart of Lourdes, and reflect as I gather my
thoughts in prayer.It truly serves as
my gateway to a better understanding and affirmation that my mom's struggles
will soon be lifted."

Recovery Room: You can also write about the
recovery room where patients go after their surgeries. The only reason why I
didn't mention this option as a potential scene is only because patients aren't
here for long, and when they are . . . they are unconscious from the anesthesia.

You can also write about the cafeteria and doctor's lounges/locker room if your character(s) is a doctor. Watch E.R. and Grey's Anatomy to see what a doctor's lounge/locker room looks like.

For inspiration read my short memoir about my
spine surgery: Woman of Steel (Scroll down to the bottom of page 5.)

TIP: If you're like a fellow blogger who commented and you're writing a story set in the future, I can't really tell you what the medical field will be like, but I imagine people will still act the same so you can still use these tips for your characters. But if you follow this link: http://bit.ly/1bOrbDR you can see what a hospital room can look like.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The title of this post is misleading. I’m not
really telling you not to start sentences with these words, because I start
sentences with these words, every writer does. What I’m suggesting is that you limit
how many times in a row you use them to start
sentences.

I developed this rule after listening to editors and becoming conscious of my own
writing, and decided it was a good thing to do for me. Do you have to follow it? Heck no! The only opinion that matters when it comes to your writing is your own. But I do encourage you to test it out, and maybe find your own limit.

Now here are the words:

HE/SHE:Using "he" or "she” to begin sentences is fine and
normal, but using he/she so many times in a row can become redundant, a little
annoying, and lazy. This is just my opinion as a reader and writer though. With
my writing, I believe in beginning sentences in more ways than just with
"she" to describe what is happening, or how my characters feel. Up to
three uses is my limit now. I think three sentences in a row is a perfect cut
of point, because it’s not excessive, and it still reads well. Can you write
four sentences beginning with he/she? Sure! (This rule can also apply to the use of "I" at the beginning of sentences for first person.)

THEN:
Now this is a word that you should know not to overuse. Beginning a sentence
with “then” is great! And it is needed to create suspense, but using it to
begin every other sentence is too much. With my own writing, I don’t even allow
myself to use it more than once in a paragraph, and try to limit it to once per
manuscript page. Instead, I find other clever ways to boost the suspense and
action.

THE: I
once heard an author say that beginning a sentence with “the” was a literary no-no. Well, I still begin sentences with “the”, and so do most best-selling
authors. But ever since I heard that quote I have become more aware of it, and
try not to do it often. If I see that I used “the” to begin a couple of
sentences close together, I try to rewrite one of them. Do I always do this? No, I don't, because when I read the paragraph back through, it sounds great with back-to-back the's at the beginning of the sentences. But when "the" becomes obvious, that's when I put my thinking cap on.

QUESTION: Are there specific words that you limit the use of at the beginning of sentences?

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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

There are quite a few crime scenes in the
fourth book of my (unpublished) series, but even though all crime scenes are different,
writing about them requires the same elements every time.

Sight: The most powerful element of a crime
scene is what it looks like. Describe the detective’s first steps onto the
crime scene starting at the crime scene tape. Is the
crime scene in an alley, a hotel room, a house? What does the detective see
first? A dumpster, a shattered lamp, a jimmied lock? Imagine that you are
walking through the crime scene yourself and you’re seeing everything with your
eyes.

Then when your protagonist is in the middle
of the crime scene, all eyes are on the victim. Before you begin describing the
scene around the victim, tell us what he/she looks like. This can start with
their hair color, their clothes, the position they are in, and finally, the
wounds on their body. You will have to know all of these details beforehand, so
it is best to write out a profile for the victim to help you create a full
description, and to make sure you don’t leave a single detail out.

This picture is NOT real! I am using it for visual purposesto show some wounds a victim can have. Also, to raiseawareness for domestic violence.

Finally, you get to dig into the crime scene.
Along with knowing the victim before you write, you will also need to know how
they died, even if you keep a few secrets. The method of murder most
likely will affect the crime scene. For instance, if the victim was shot, there
will be bullet casings, blood splatters, and maybe a bullet embedded in a wall
or a piece of furniture. Does the suspect leave a message? Was the room/house
destroyed? Describe everything, because a crime scene is 360 degrees!

Smell: What the detective smells is also very
important, and crime scenes can be especially stinky. Does he/she smell decay,
chemicals, gunpowder, or smoke?

Feel: The detective’s thoughts and instincts
are very important. Reveal them! Also in the category of feel is the real sense
of touch. Does the detective have to touch something? Describe the sensation,
but make sure they are wearing gloves!

Hear: Sometimes a crime scene is silent,
other times there can be hysterical loved ones, barking dogs, sirens, and/or a
television tuned to a talk show.

Taste: I honestly don’t know of a crime
scene where a detective will have to actually taste something, but fumes can
settle on the tongue.

After you follow your detective through the crime scene, follow them out of it and into their steps to solve the
case.